Stranded
by The Rickaboo
Summary: A violent storm rips Destiny Islands apart and leaves Riku and Kairi stranded together. Fluffy and tragic, it's a nice alternative. RikuXKairi Finished.
1. Please?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

**A/n**: This was a concept I had for a story a while back, and I feel alot better now that I just wrote it. It's not going to be terribly long, I'm trying to work on shortening my stories. It makes me sad that there arn't many stories with Riku and Kairi together, I'm not a big Sora fan. Anyway, if you like fluff, you should be pleased, if you don't, you might vomit. And of course, I don't right much in the way of happy-go-lucky fics, there is a violent storm later in the story that some people might be offended by. this fic is rated "T" for disturbing images and a storm, language, and some bad behaviour, but the rating might change. I apologize ahead of time if people don't like the idea, but you don't have to read it if you don't want to. Some upcoming scenes may be a little bit brutal. Please review and all that, update will be fast. And sorry for any mistakes, I'm a sloppy typer sometimes.

**_Chapter One_**

The insistent pounding jolted Riku out of his sleep and he rolled out of bed in surprise. His chin was the first thing to hit the floor and the blankets toppled on top of him as he blinked and tried to adjust to the bright morning light.

"Get up! You're going to be late for school!" The angry voice of his mother sounded from the other side of the door. When he didn't answer her she continued to beat on his door unmercifully. "Riku! Get your ass out of bed!"

He groaned. "I'm up!" _fuckin' HAG_. He added silently. He scowled at the shadow under his door as it stomped away. He snickered to himself when he remember her excursions last night, she must have had a killer hangover.

He dragged himself into his bathroom and got ready for a shower. He turned the water on and let it heat up as he brushed his teeth and dug out a somewhat clean towel. '_Another lovely morning'_ he stared out the bathroom window overlooking the beach. A couple of palm trees stood to the left of his line of sight, looking very dull and plastic in the lack of breeze. He finished up and jumped in the shower as he heard his mother return to beat up his door some more.

He rushed his usually long shower so he wouldn't be late. Leaping into his bedroom, he threw his clothes on, the deep blue slacks and white dress shirt with a stupid tie that was his school's trademarked uniform. '_Oh joy'_ he thought. At least he looked alright in it, and it was a hell of a lot better than some sailor uniforms he had seen. He inspected himself in his mirror before running a brush through his long silver hair and walking calmly out of his room. His mom stood in the doorway to the kitchen, watching to make sure he left. Riku offered her a fake smile as she growled at him to get to school and he ducked out of the door as she slammed it behind him. He rolled his eyes, her new boyfriend must be coming over.

Another exciting day in Destiny Islands, he dashed down the path leading into the tiny island town. Dirt flew up behind him as he skidded around corners and jumped over fences to make it to school in time. He heard the school's annoying bell ring and saw Tidus up ahead of him, moving slowly in the general direction Riku was going. He turned another corner right behind the blonde and the small, one room schoolhouse came into view.

"Hey! Tidus! Have you seen Kairi?" he asked, slowing to a stop right next to the younger boy. He looked up at the silver haired youth and yawned.

"Nope, you might want to ask Selphie, though." he rubbed his face and stumbled on a branch.

Riku looked up ahead and scanned the yard for any sign of his auburn haired best friend. He could see Wakka and some other kid enter the school, and Selphie stood on the doorstep tapping her foot anxiously.

"Where is she, Riku? I told her I needed to talk to her last night but she still hasn't shown up!" The girl cried, glaring at him accusingly. He shrugged.

"It's not like her to be late, she's not cutting class is she?" he asked, bending down to look Selphie in the eye. She pretended to smack him and huffed.

"Well you'd better not miss class just to look for her, you missed enough that year and a half you disappeared with Sora!" She didn't bother to stay and see if he'd go in, of course, she knew he wouldn't without Kairi.

The warning bell rang and Riku grimaced in distaste. Tidus slumped past him followed by two giggling girls Riku wasn't familiar with. He turned and walked away, undoing his tie and shoving it in his pocket.

He stood looking out over the dock. Two boats, and further down more boats that belonged to other residents of the island. Kairi's boat was missing, that meant she was out and about on the other island. Riku sighed and jumped down into his own small boat, picking up and oar and untying the rope. He shoved off from the pier and out into the ocean, paddling slowly toward his favorite island.

As he tied the rope up to the rickety dock he glanced around the island in search of his best friend. Her boat was there, but he couldn't see her. Of course, he knew where she would most likely be.

**xxxxxxx**

Kairi stuck her tongue out in concentration as she scribbled crudely on a piece of her math homework. She loved to draw, and she had wanted to ever since the incident at Kingdom Hearts. She put her pencil down to gaze up through the slats in the boards over her head. She was seated comfortably in the sand under the wooden ramp on the backside of the tiny island. No one ever came back here, and it was nice and quiet. This was her favorite place to go when she wanted to relax and think. She closed her eyes happily.

"Hey Kairi."

She yelped and jumped up, banging her head against the wooden boards and glaring at the intruder.

"Riku! What are you doing here? You should be at school!" She groaned, holding her hands to her throbbing head.

"Jeez, are you okay?" He crawled forward quickly and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. She smiled at him.

"I'm fine, just clumsy." She stared into his deep aqua eyes, it was mesmerizing. He plopped himself down in the sand next to her.

"Anyway, I was worried about you. I hate school, especially when I don't have any real friends there." He tried to ignore the fact that she was staring at him rather strangely.

"Oh Riku, you have plenty of friends there! And look how cute you are in your uniform!" Kairi giggled. Actually, she loved him in his uniform, it made him looks classy. She blushed and Riku skillfully ignored it.

He wasn't really sure what to say, he'd only been going to the Destiny Islands public school for a couple of weeks. As far as he could tell it seriously sucked. The two sat in silence for several minutes, staring out at the ocean together.

"Is he ever coming back?" She asked softly, eyes not moving from the gently flowing waves. Riku's heart suddenly felt heavy, he missed the goofy little keyblader, too. They had been best friends since they were little, it was strange not having him there to joke around and fight with. Sora always managed to brighten the day.

"Of course he is. He's got a lot to do, though. It might be a while, but he's coming back, I know he is." Riku said hopefully. Then he thought for a moment. Glancing at Kairi, he noticed she looked deep in thought. It seemed weird to be sitting here next to her without Sora there. They always used to fight over her, trying to get her attention. Seems like it would be a while before they would figure out who she liked more. But then again, Riku already knew.

"So, did you ever decide which one of us won?" He asked confidently, swallowing back a lump of fear when he realized what he had actually said. He had meant it as a joke, sort of. He wasn't really sure, but now he hoped that's how she would take it. He stared at her anxiously, but she didn't make any acknowledgement that she had even heard him. He noticed her face got a little redder and he knew her answer.

He sighed. "You know, Sora went through a lot to save you. He tried to save me too, I guess he really cared about us. But especially you." he forced a laugh. "I used to get kind of jealous that he always gave you more attention. But now I guess I really miss those days…" Kairi looked like she was thinking really hard, she nodded and made a muffled noise that kind of sounded like a 'yea'.

He felt really stupid, but he had always just assumed that Kairi would end up with Sora. He deserved her anyway, he went through a lot to keep her safe. He had earned it… Riku had turned evil in an pathetic attempt to save her, and it turned out she didn't even need him at all.

His thoughts were interrupted when she leaned her head on his shoulder without a word. His heart caught in his throat and he knew he must have shuddered. Looking down at her, she seemed so sad. He put his arm around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. She just nuzzled her face into his neck and made him more uncomfortable.

"Please don't ever leave. It was horrible being here all alone. If I lost you I don't know what I'd do." She sounded desperate, and he felt tears fall down his neck and onto his shirt.

"Oh Kai, I'll never leave you." he hugged her tightly as she sobbed into his shirt. It ripped at his heart to see her like this. She was so strong, but she couldn't handle seeing the people she loved leave her behind. He stroked her hair as her shoulders shook.

**xxxxxxx**

Kairi's eyes drifted open with the sound of the waves lapping at the shoreline. She was gazing straight out to sea, the water turning a light shade of purple and pink and the sun began to set. She shifted and looked down when she felt movement under her. Seeing Riku lying there under her, she knew she should have felt embarrassed, but she just leaned there staring at him while he slept. She couldn't really believe she had actually fallen asleep on him, but to be honest she was thrilled he had let her. He mumbled something when he felt her move and she slid off of him and knelt in the cool sand.

Kairi watched blankly as he slowly woke up, realizing that she was leaning over him. He stared back at her with his piercing aquamarine eyes, but she didn't move.

"Riku, I'm hungry." She said softly. He smiled, his own stomach growling violently. They had spent the whole day on the beach, walking around and talking. Neither had been very inclined to go home or to school, much happier just passing the time in each other's company. He nodded.

"I'll take you home." He replied, slowly pushing himself to his feet and dusting off his school uniform.

"No!" She stated almost desperately. "Please, can I go home with you? I don't want to be alone right now." She sounded so upset, he couldn't refuse. It's not like his mother would care anyway, she probably wouldn't even be home for a couple of days, it was the weekend after all. Riku stared at the girl, his eyes wide at her sudden need to be with him.

"Uh, sure, Kairi. Of course you can…"Did she really think that he would leave her like Sora did? Oh well, she seemed happy at his answer and grabbed his hand to pull him towards the dock with her.

**xxxxxxx**

Riku was right, his mom was nowhere to be found when he got home. She had left him a note saying something along the lines of staying with a good friend of hers for the weekend. He crumpled up the note and threw it as hard as he could in the trash. It was good news to him, that meant a whole weekend of peace. Why had he missed this island anyway? He turned around and Kairi was standing in the doorway, smiling at him. He sighed internally, '_that's why'_. She gave him a funny look when the blissful grin crossed his face. He blushed when he realized how stupid he must have looked and shook his head to rid himself of it.

"So, you just want some dinner or did you want to stay the night or something?" he mumbled awkwardly. It wouldn't be the first time she had stayed at his house, but Sora had been there, too. She leapt up the staircase after him enthusiastically. He took that as an 'I'm staying the night, duh!' and got out of her way as she ran into his room.

He leaned in the doorway to see what she was up to, only to find her digging through his clothes dresser. "Do you mind!" She scowled when she noticed him standing over her. He put his hands up and went back downstairs. One thing was for sure, she didn't trust him to help her find some pajamas. He went into the kitchen and dug around in the cupboards for something to cook.

Dinner was well underway by the time Kairi had finished violating his dresser and wandered back downstairs to the living room. He peeked around the corner of the kitchen to see her digging through the movie cupboard, wearing one of his plain white shirts and an old pair of pajama pants he had actually bought just in case Kairi wanted them. They were black with red plaid and they matched her hair perfectly.

He wandered over to her and she spun around with a movie in her hand.

"Let's watch this!" She said happily, holding up a copy of "The Gate" for him to see. Riku snorted.

"Kairi, that movie is so cheesy!" he laughed, he couldn't believe after all these years she still liked cheesy horror movies.

"Please! I love stupid movie like this!" She gave him her puppy dog face and he stared at her in disbelief.

"Sure, Kai." He finally said, ruffling her hair before going back into the kitchen to check on their dinner.

**xxxxxxx**

It was well past 1:00 am and Riku couldn't believe he was enjoying that stupid movie. Some parts were really funny, even though they were supposed to be scary. Their empty plates sat on the table in from of him and he wondered if he should go and put them away before he passed out for the night.

Kairi shifted in her seat, and Riku could have sworn she had just scooted closer to him.

"I didn't know you could cook." She said quietly.

He looked at her and grinned. "Yea, Sora always wanted to cook before. Well, he tried to cook anyway." They both laughed at the memory of that very same kitchen engulfed in foul smelling smoke. She was so cute when she laughed, he watched her happily. She held her hands up in front of her and clasped them together. It made her look really girly, but accented her charm somehow.

"I see, you learned from his mistakes." He forced a smile at her compliment, but couldn't help but feel like it had some underlying meaning. Kairi shifted again, snuggling up against his side. He blushed darkly as she brushed a hand against his arm. He couldn't believe it, she was coming on to him.

"Are you feeling alright, Kai?" He asked shakily, not really sure what to do. He had always dreamed about her liking him back, but had never thought it might actually happen. "I mean, you seem pretty upset about something." He finished when she gave him another strange look.

"Yea, I guess I just feel like something's about to happen. Something really bad. I don't want to be alone anymore, Riku, it hurts so much." She entwined her fingers in his and rested her head against his shoulder. He stared at her in shock, she almost looked like she was about to cry.

"Kairi… You know I'd never leave you again!" he couldn't believe she was so upset about it, it must have been really horrible being away from him and Sora for so long.

She stared up into his eyes. "You promise? Please, Riku, don't ever leave me behind again! I can't stand it! This island is like a prison, sometimes I just wish I could take my boat out and never come back. I used to love this place so much, but now all I want is to get away." She buried her face in his chest and he patted her back gently.

"Kairi, you know I wouldn't just leave you like that…" Something was really making her nervous, and it was rubbing off on him.

After several minutes she sighed and leaned against him casually. "Riku?" She asked quietly.

"Hmmm?" He responded, watching the movie halfheartedly.

"Can I be your girlfriend?"

His heart jumped into his throat and he choked, coughing violently as she watched him with interest.


	2. With You

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

**A/n:** Sorry, this chapter is kind of short. But better a short chapter than no chapter! This is were it gets kind of dark and interesting. I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you, Tishannia, I wasn't going to upload this chapter tonight but then I read your review.

**_Chapter Two_**

"What!" Riku jumped violently and stared at the girl next to him in a mixture of confusion and fear. She just smiled hopefully and stared back with sparkling blue eyes.

He continued to stare at her and edged backwards, "You're kidding, right? I mean, you don't seriously…" His voice trailed off as her smile turned into a pout. Her face fell and she blushed. '_Oh my god.._' He thought, swallowing back the lump in his throat. '_I can't believe this is happening._'

"Oh, Kairi, I didn't mean it like that." he leaned forward and put his hand on her shoulder. This was what he'd wanted since he met her, but for some reason all he wanted to do was run away in fear. '_I never knew girls could be so intimidating…_' he groaned internally. She looked back at the movie they were 'watching', but the credits had begun to roll. She looked really upset, but not like she was ready to cry about it.

"I just thought that, you know." He took a deep breath. "That you'd end up with Sora. You two were always a lot closer…" He lowered his voice awkwardly. Kairi spun around to face him.

"Of course we were closer, you were always avoiding us! And just because I care about him doesn't mean I want to marry him! Besides, he's not here anymore, you're the one that came back to me." She looked really angry and he sighed.

"I just feel like it'll make things awkward later. You're really important to me and, you know. It would change everything." Riku tried to explain. He'd never seen her look so disappointed.

"Please." She whispered, tucking her legs under her and curling into the couch.

He couldn't stand it, he didn't know what to do. He knew what he wanted to do, but what about Sora? She crawled closer and rested her face against his neck. Riku wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"Please. It won't be weird, I promise." She whispered again.

"Alright…" He sighed in defeat. Kairi smiled to herself and relaxed against his chest.

Neither of them said anything for several minutes, they just sat there together watching colorful images flash across the TV screen. It was well past midnight, and after the surprise of the evening Riku was tired. He tried to keep his eyes open, but the images on the TV screen were blurring. His head fell back against the couch and he drifted off to sleep. Kairi was still somewhat awake, trying to pay attention to the newscaster on the screen. There was a long red bar across the bottom of the screen below him. She decided she was too tired to really care and closed her eyes.

"We've just received word of a severe storm warning in the next few days. So it is advised that you stay in your home and avoid windows, as the winds are expected to pick up."

**xxxxxxx**

Riku leaned against a palm tree, waiting for Kairi to come back. He had walked her to her house, but she snuck in her window to avoid her dad. Kairi's dad was known for hating teenagers, he'd even yelled and Sora and Riku for an hour once because they had gotten Kairi back home a few minutes after curfew. He shuddered at the memory.

"Let's go!" She cried suddenly, appearing from behind his tree. He jumped in surprise. She ignored it and grabbed his hand, pulling him down the street toward town.

Riku had to admit, it was a lot less awkward than he thought it would be. She didn't seem any different at all, she was the same Kairi he had grown up with, just holding his hand and seeming a little happier than usual. He watched her as she walked beside him, she was wearing the pink dress she'd worn when they were still fighting the Nobodies. It looked good on her.

"So, were are we going?" He asked curiously, shoving a hand in his pocket. She smiled up at him.

"I promised Selphie I'd go shopping with her today." She said cheerfully.

'_She's taking me to show off to her friends…_' Riku groaned internally.

It wasn't long before they reached the small town. Kairi waved happily as their friends came into view. Selphie noticed the girl first and rushed forward, Tidus and Wakka walking slowly after her.

"Kairi!" The girl called out, waving back. Several feet in front of them she skidded to a halt and her mouth fell open.

"Oh my god, what is going on here?" She pointed at their joined hands in horror. Tidus and Wakka had appeared behind her and realized what she was pointing at. "You two are seriously-"

"Yup." Kairi flipped her hair nonchalantly and pulled Riku closer, hugging his arm. He fought back a blush and forced a smile. _'What the hell is she doing?' _

Selphie seemed unusually surprised, "Oh. Wow, about time, don't you think?" She turned around to glare daggers at Tidus, who looked like he was about to say something.

"Well, shouldn't we get going?" Selphie motioned down the street. Kairi smiled and nodded, yanking Riku forward with her.

**xxxxxxx**

"You should get this, Selphie, it compliments your eyes!" Kairi held up an unusual looking green dress with white buttons down the sides. Selphie wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"Well then you should get something like this!" She smirked and held up an atrociously hot pink sundress.

"Oh yeah? Well I think this would really draw attention to that well-rounded backside of yours. Maybe you could get a date with that cute little blonde over there!" Kairi smiled painfully and showed the younger girl a fanned orange dress with black stripes.

Riku, Wakka, and Tidus sighed. "This is ridiculous, what the hell are they even doing?" Riku groaned, watching the two girls insist on the other wearing the outfit they painstakingly selected for them. Wakka shook his head.

"I'm going home, I've got a date tonight to get ready for!" Wakka said proudly, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking away from them. Tidus called to him pleadingly, but his cries went unheard.

Riku looked down at the boy in pity. '_At least he's not so short anymore' _he observed, noticing that Tidus was only a few inches shorter than him now. Looking back up towards the girls he noticed that it had somehow moved from playful to dangerous, they were practically throwing clothing and fake smiles at each other. He darted forward to stop them before they could really start fighting.

"Um, hey, Kairi, you wanna go see a movie?" he asked quickly, taking her by the hand and moving towards the checkout. She smiled brightly and turned to look back at the other girl.

"Yea, good idea! Come on, Selphie, we'll all go to a movie together!" she called back to her. Selphie glowered darkly but followed them.

**xxxxxxx**

Kairi jumped sharply and grabbed Riku's arm. He looked at her again, she was acting so weird. He noticed her glance behind them then tighten her grip on his arm. He tried to focus on watching the movie. After his incident with Ansem and Kingdom Hearts, he wasn't big on horror movies. But, Kairi had wanted to see it, so here he was. He slowly lost interest as some kind of disturbing, vaguely Nobody looking creature lurched around on the screen. He found himself watching Kairi again, just in time to watch her jump and yelp. She practically jumped into his lap. He rolled his eyes. This movie wasn't that scary, what was she up to? He wrapped an arm around her and she relaxed a bit.

He forced himself to watch the rest of the movie, thoroughly unimpressed. At least Kairi seemed to be enjoying it, the moment the credits rolled she leapt on him in excitement.

"Wasn't that good, Riku? It was so scary! That big guy with the sword scared the crap out of me!" She gushed, grabbing both his hands and staring up at him with wide eyes. He nodded and smiled.

"I'm glad you liked it." He picked up her shopping bag from earlier and lead her out of the theatre. Kairi looked around and scanned the small crowd of people leaving the theatre.

"Do you see Selphie and Tidus anywhere?" She asked Riku. He shook his head, kind of glad they had lost the two.

"Well anyway, that was really great, Riku, thanks!" She gave him a kiss on the cheek and he shifted awkwardly. She smiled. Heavy raindrops began to fall around them and he couldn't help but look up at the sky. He'd never seen such dark clouds before.

"Wow, the wind must have really picked up to blow a storm in that fast." He said quietly. Kairi shuddered and hugged herself, looking up at the clouds fearfully.

"I have a really horrible feeling about this…" She murmured, staring up at the dark sky. "Hey, um, I'm gonna go home for a little bit, I'll meet you at your house later, okay?" She said quickly. Before he even had time to respond she had darted off down the street.

"Okay…" He whispered after her.

**xxxxxxx**

Riku stood pacing his bedroom floor. The temperature had dropped surprisingly, and he had dug out a coat from his closet. It was almost 7 in the evening and he hadn't heard from Kairi, he was starting to worry. He looked out the window again, the wind was blowing fiercely and rain was falling in torrents. A tree fell across the street and he stared at it. He saw a flash of red down the street and dashed out of his room and down the stairs. He barreled out of the front door and ran through the wind to meet her.

Her frail body was thrown around violently in the powerful winds and she was already soaked from her walk over to him. He threw his arms around her.

"You should have called me, I was really worried." he said loudly over the wind. She shook her head.

"Phone lines are down!" She pulled him forward with her. "We need to get out of here! This is getting really bad!" She yelled back to him. He noticed she had a backpack.

"What? Where should we go? We're on an island!" He yelled back. She glanced back at him and he noticed the fear in her eyes. '_Wow, if she's scared, I should be terrified…_'He thought. He realized where they were headed when the docks came into view.

"Whoa, what are you thinking! We can't take the boats out in this! It's suicide!" He called out to her. She looked back at him.

"We need to try!" She said urgently, tossing her backpack into her boat. She pulled him in with her, cut the rope, and shoved off from the dock as hard as she could.

Riku grabbed the paddle before she could get her hands on it and began paddling toward their favorite island. The wind beat against them angrily and pushed their boat around in the churning water. The ocean swelled around them and angry waves crashed against the sides of the tiny boat. It seemed like hours later, but somehow they managed to make it to the island. Riku jumped out before they had even hit land and pulled the boat up on to shore. Kairi grabbed her backpack and ran forward.

He quickly followed her and she threw herself into the secret place, scrambling on all fours to fit through the small cave opening. He dove in after her and found her huddled up against the cave wall, knees tucked up to her chin. She was shivering from the cold and wrapped her coat tighter around herself. He shoved a rock up against the entrance to help block the wind and crawled over to her. The moment he sat down next to her she wrapped herself around him. He took of his coat and draped it over them both, hugging her tightly.

"We'll be safe here, it's okay." he whispered softly in her ear. She looked up at him and tears rolled down her face.

The wind howled ferociously and the sound echoed through the cave. The occasional boom told Riku that the ocean was starting to act up, and all in all he thought it sounded like the apocalypse. He sat there and held Kairi's shaking form for hours, trying to keep her warm. Thunder began to boom outside and he watched in horror as a tree fell across an opening in the cave ceiling. Rainwater leaked down from the hole and pooled on the floor across from the two huddled teenagers.

A violent boom of thunder over head made Kairi cry out in fear, digging her fingernails into Riku's shirt. He hugged her protectively as the wind blew even harder, screaming at them. She stared up at him in terror, rainwater dripping from her saturated hair.

"We're gonna be okay, Kai, I promise. We're safe in here." He placed a reassuring kiss on her forehead.

"But what about them?" She whimpered. "What about all our friends out there on the island?" She sobbed, tears coursing down her cheeks.

Riku didn't want to think about it. He just hugged her to his chest.

**_End of Chapter Two_**


	3. Inspecting the Damage

**Disclaimer: **Kingdom Hearts belongs to Disney and a little tiny bit of it belongs to Square-Enix I guess.

**A/n:** God, this story is so weird. I'm sorry! This chapter fell short of what I was hoping for…

My reviewers, whom I love: Constance Greene, Tatikara, and Tishannia, I'd like to thank you for reminding me why I love writing. I'm sorry if the story feels awkward, I've been going through some depressing stuff lately. But I guess most people who read this won't really care. Anyway, I appreciate your support and I'm trying really hard to make this story a good read.

And to you, walklightwhite, your review seriously made me laugh. For one thing, yes, Sora is removed from the picture, but what you fail to realize is that the story is not over. At no point whatsoever did I even bash on Sora, despite the fact that I am not fond of him. I in fact did not write this story for you, but it makes me proud that it has upset you enough that you felt I needed to hear about it. There are more then enough Sora-loving stories out there for you, so I wonder as to why you even bothered to read this.

**Chapter Three**

Dull light filtered in through the gaps in the cave wall and the gentle sound of rain echoed around the two teenagers. Riku watched water drip down from the ceiling and add to the pool on the floor. He had moved Kairi to the highest spot in the cave late last night since the water now covered the right side and center of the floor, and had hung her backpack up on a branch. He wasn't really sure why he bothered, since they were both already soaked. The cave offered shelter only from the wind.

Kairi herself was draped haphazardly across his lap, and he moved carefully to slip her off of him and onto the floor. She was finally asleep after listening to the storm rage across their islands all night, and he wasn't sure she hadn't passed out from exhaustion. Crawling slowly from the mouth of the cave, Riku squinted into the muted sunlight and gazed across the island.

Debris lay strewn everywhere and his heart fell at the sight. The dock was gone completely, and the wooden walkway that had once been up above was mangled and broken on the ground. It looked like the end of the world had finally occurred, or a tornado at the very least. Rain fell gently now, and the wind had died. Clouds obscured the usually bright sunlight and it felt like the world was crying.

Riku dug through a pile of debris and found his boat underneath it. He began to drag it towards the water when he heard a small voice behind him. He turned around to find Kairi standing there with a blank look on her face. Her eyes seemed unnaturally dull and she threw herself into his arms. Without a word, she helped him drag the boat back to the water and climbed in with him. He had hoped she wouldn't want to go, but if she felt like she needed to see their home then he would let her.

He paddled the boat steadily across the ocean to the main island. The journey was eerie, as bits of houses and chunks of wood drifted past. There was the occasional debris that looked like it had once been a piece of furniture. Kairi turned away in horror as someone's drowned dog floated by in the water.

Riku grimaced at the sight that stretched out before them. There wasn't a single house within his line of sight that hadn't suffered greatly. The road was littered with debris, anything that could be blown away had been. Most trees had been uprooted and tossed carelessly aside. He looked to the side and watched Kairi pick her way through a pile of mangled wooden beams. She lurched backward.

"Oh my god, Riku." She held a hand over her mouth and turned away. He moved over to where she stood and looked down. A broken body could be seen under the wooden beams, he looked away quickly. He grabbed her hand and lead her away.

Not far down the road they came to what was left of Kairi's house. Her face was blank as she stepped forward and settle down on her knees in front of it. She looked so peaceful, sitting there with her eyes closed. 'She's saying goodbye…' he realized. She quickly stood up and walked away, head lowered. Kairi was silent as she walked past Riku, not even making eye contact with him. He watched her go, knowing it would probably be best not to disturb her when she's like this. She settle several blocks down at a mostly destroyed playground. Kneeling again she slowly began drawing crude pictures in the dust that had settled there.

Riku left her there to mourn and followed the path down to his own home. He stood in front of it for several minutes before picking his way up into the gutted skeleton of his old house. A lot of his things were still there, though thrown violently around the house. Digging in what used to be a closet he found a dust covered backpack. He brushed it off as best he could and then began picking around in the debris for anything he wanted to keep. He found a ripped little photo album under a thick piece of wood and quickly tossed it in his bag.

He couldn't find everything he wanted to salvage, but he found several more sentimental things and some things he figured they might need. When he was finished he went back to Kairi's house to find things for her. He knew for a fact she wouldn't want to do it herself. He dug around where her bed had been overturned and found an old brush set her aunt had given her. Her room was fairly well intact, considering the rest of the house, so it wasn't too difficult to find most of what he was looking for. When he was finished he hurried back to the playground to check on her. She was still kneeling in the dust, but she had finished drawing and was now staring down at it sadly. He rubbed her shoulder as he passed to let her know he wasn't abandoning her.

Jogging carefully through the fallen palm trees he came out near the grocery store. The walls had held up better than the houses, but it was still a serious mess. He looked around cautiously before running over to it and hoisting himself over a pile of ruined materials and down onto the dusty tile inside. He set to work quickly, moving through the aisles to find what he was looking for. The canned food aisle had been demolished, but he found quite a few cans that were still perfectly good. He grabbed enough food to get them through a few days and then began searching for other necessities. On his way out again he stopped by the sporting goods department and dug around in the rubble until he found what he was looking for. Swinging the tent over his shoulder he dug out some more camping supplies and then dashed out of the store before Kairi could get a chance to collect herself and wander off.

She wasn't at the playground when he ran past, and he began to worry. He ran to where they had left their boat, hoping that she would be waiting there for him, but she was no where in sight. He threw the items he had scavenged into his boat and turned around to look for her. Riku jogged back down the street, hoping to see her.

He checked most of the island, but couldn't find her. Cursing, he ran back to the boat and jumped in. He paddled quickly back to their island to see if she had decided to go back. He pulled his supplies out of the boat and tossed them on shore. Dashing quickly around the island, but he knew she wasn't there. He called into the secret place to make sure and when she didn't answer he took his boat back to the main island.

She had been missing for hours by now and he was starting to panic. He'd given up the search, if she wanted to be found she would have come to him by now. He was starving, but too lonely and worried to try eating anything. He had busied himself by collecting more supplies and dragging them back to their island.

It felt odd thinking of the island as being theirs, but who else was here to claim it? That thought made his stomach lurch as he remember the bodies he'd seen everywhere. There weren't many, he supposed a lot of people got swept out to sea when the wind brought in those fierce waves. But he really hoped that they had managed to survive somehow. He'd checked the island pretty thoroughly for any signs of life, mainly for Kairi, but for survivors too. He hadn't found anything to suggest that someone might have lived through the storm. He'd even found a few of his old friends under some piles of rubble and debris. Riku had never felt so helpless in his life.

The sun was sinking lower in the sky and he decided to give up completely. If she wanted to mourn their loss in peace it was none of his business. He retreated back to the small island for the night, making sure to leave a boat clearly visible on the beach for her. To occupy his time until he felt like sleeping, he began the tedious chore of cleaning up the harassed little island. He sorted through the piles of broken and battered wood and separated it between firewood and boards he could use for building.

**xxxxxxx**

Riku awoke with a start and stared up at the blazing sun. He sat up quickly and looked around him. He had fallen asleep while resting during the cleanup. He was even still holding a hammer he'd taken from the main island. 'Hmm, no sign of Kairi yet.' He hoped she was alright.

Looking down at himself he realized how harassed he looked. His hair fell around him in tangles and his clothes were dirty and stained. He sighed and check to make sure Kairi was no where in sight before slipping out of his thrashed outfit and putting on some swim shorts he'd found. He walked around the side of the island to the water fall and stepped beneath the stream. It felt nice in comparison to the heat from the sun. At least they had plenty of water, this waterfall was fed from an underground spring up above. He washed his hair out and tried to get rid of all the dirt and grime still clinging to his pale skin. Not bothering trying to dry off, he stepped from the flow and shook his hair out before continuing with his work. 'First of all, we're gonna need a fence around that waterfall.' he thought, the amusing image of one of them trying to actually shower in it popping into his head.

It was several hours later that he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and he spun around to look into Kairi's deep blue eyes. She looked miserable, but at the same time very happy to see him. He threw his tools to the side and hugged her tightly.

"I was so worried about you." He murmured, overjoyed that she had finally returned.

"I'm sorry, I just needed to sort everything out. It's not everyday that all the things you know and love disappear." She lowered her gaze, "Well, almost everything." She blushed but gave him a soft kiss on the cheek anyway. She turned away quickly when he gave her a surprised look.

"Look at me, I'm a mess. Did you find any other clothes I could wear?" She smiled brightly at him and he almost winced at how painfully forced it was. She was trying to see the best in the situation, and she was having a hard time with it.

"Yea, I got a lot of stuff from your house. I left it in the cave for you. There's some canned food and an opener and stuff in there, too, in case you're hungry." She smiled a real smile this time and gave him a small thanks before wandering into the cave.

Kairi emerged a few minutes later in a small tank top and shorts, complete with an open can of ravioli clutched in her hand. She munched on it quietly while she watched Riku work building what looked like the start of a shack next to the waterfall. She admired him happily as he worked, the muscles of his back flexing impressively as he lifted and moved materials and hammered them into place.

"You didn't grab me a swimsuit?" She asked in between bites. He nearly dropped the hammer and turned to scowl at her.

"The last time I suggested you wear a swimsuit you hit me. I figured it would be safer to let you find your own!" He said, trying to keep a straight face as she pouted at him.

"Whatever! I don't remember that!" She said accusingly.

"Okay, the next time I'm over there I'll pick up a handkerchief for you to use as a top." Her eyes widened and she growled angrily. She tried to kick sand at him but he just dodged it.

"No seriously, I'm going back over there in a little bit if there's anything you want me to pick up." Riku said as she finished her ravioli and tried to throw the can at him.

She shrugged. "A swimsuit, I won't even hit you. Maybe a blanket or two, I was freezing last night." When he gave her a suspicious look she laughed.

"Oh come on, you're my boyfriend now, remember?" She smiled innocently and walked away down the beach.

Riku stared after her, thinking about what she'd said. So she remembered that and had really been serious. He wondered how serious. He watched as she stood in the surf, letting the small waves wash over her feet. The sun glinted beautifully off of her soft red hair. He felt kind of awkward, thinking of her as being his girlfriend. She belonged to him and she knew that, she had even wanted it. It was so perfect it seemed like something should be wrong.

She glanced back and noticed him watching her. She couldn't help but stare back. He looked like an angel standing there, with his long silver hair flowing in the gentle ocean breeze, the sunlight making his aquamarine eyes sparkle. His posture was absolutely perfect, radiating a sense of peace and security around him. As if he was king of his domain. She supposed he was now, they were the only ones left. The muscles on his chest tensed for a moment and she realized she'd made him uncomfortable. He turned and began rearranging some tools he had been using, setting them on a piece of wood. When he had finished he turned and walked to his boat, pushing it back out over the beach to the water.

"Riku!" Kairi ran forward as he began wading out into the water with the boat. He stopped and looked up at her as she approached.

She flung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. He hesitated awkwardly before wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her to him. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever experienced, nothing had ever felt so right. Stars exploded behind his eyes as the heat from her perfect lips seeped into him. All at once she broke away and smiled brightly at him. He blushed and gazed down at her dreamily.

"Be careful." She said gently as she walked away again. He nearly fell in his boat as he forced himself to turn around and go.

**xxxxxxx**

He hadn't been gone very long, mainly he had been looking for a lighter so they could light a fire. He jumped from his tiny boat, a plastic shopping bag clutched in his hand. He had picked up some blankets like Kairi had asked, and pulled them out after dragging the boat to shore. Kairi ran out of the cave to meet him.

"Oh, thank you! She took the blankets from him and ran back into the cave to put them away. When she came back he took the lighters out of the bag and handed it to her. She smiled and retreated into the cave again. He was almost afraid of what could possibly be going on it there.

She returned a few minutes later wearing a plain black bikini. She bounced over to him happily as he tried to resume working and hugged him.

"See? This swimsuit is great, thank you!" He blushed deeply as he felt her bare skin brush against his chest. She couldn't help but notice how red his face had gotten and smirked to herself. She brushed her hand across his stomach muscles as she walked by and watched him flinch. He was just too fun to pick on.

**End of Chapter 3** _Thanks for reading!_


	4. Right At Home

Disclaimer: I don't own KH or KH II or anything valuable for that matter.

A/n: Hmmmm… I need to stop starting new stories. Sorry this chapter is short, the story is almost over and there's only so much more to write. And thanks, everyone who has reviewed so far! Here's a little bit of inappropriate action for you.

**Chapter 4**

Light flickered and danced all around them, casting an orange shadow on Riku's face and Kairi stared over at him. He poked the fire with a stick, shifting a piece of firewood onto the pile and watching the flames engulf it. Dropping the stick next to him, he looked up at the sky above them, stars glittering brightly in the dark expanse. Kairi leaned her head on his shoulder happily, thrilled by the limited visibility the night brought with it. When it was dark, she could pretend like this was all there ever was, just the two of them here, on this island. There was no other island, there had never been any other people, everything had always been like this, just perfect. He had finished the fence around the waterfall, and the small shack beside it was half done. He put his arm over her shoulders, turning his head to the side and rubbing his cheek against her soft red hair.

She sighed contentedly and stared into the fire. The strap to her bikini had fallen down her shoulder, and Riku played with it absently.

"Why did you want to be my girlfriend? Really?" He asked suddenly, shattering the peaceful mood that had developed around them. Kairi almost jumped from the sound of his voice, and her head shot up from his shoulder.

"Oh, well, you know…" She shifted uncomfortably. "Because I really liked you. Like _that_." She blushed brightly and he couldn't help but smile.

"I'm sorry, I just always thought you had a thing for Sora." He replied quietly. She sat up and looked at him sadly.

"Well, I used to like you both. But I guess people change, and Sora just started seeming more like a friend than anything else." She brought her knees up to her chin nervously. "And besides, Selphie had her eyes all over you…" She muttered quietly.

"What!" Riku shuddered at the image of Selphie trying to get him to kiss her. "That's terrible." Kairi laughed at his grimace.

They sat there smiling at each other for a few moments before Kairi blushed again and looked away. Riku wondered vaguely what had crossed her mind, but decided instead to pick up a stick and poke at the fire some more.

Kairi finally stood up, stretching and batting the sand off her pink board shorts. She stepped forward around the fire and wandered down to the beach. The moon was barely visible and offered little light, and she stepped into the cool surf. The water washed over her bare feet, covering her ankles. She looked down at the gentle waves, then glanced back up the beach to the campfire. Riku still sat there watching her, unsure of what she wanted him to do. He started piling sand on the fire to put it out and stood up. She shivered in the absence of the campfire's soothing light, and watched as Riku moved down the beach to stand beside her in the water.

"I'm gonna go to bed." She said quietly, smiling at him. He nodded in understanding and followed her back up the beach to the cave. He watched her scramble inside before he turned to pick up some of his tools and make sure the fire was out.

Once he was done he finally moved around the fence he had built and crawled into the cave. It was severely dark, but Kairi had found a flashlight and her silhouette was visible against the thin material of the tent she had set up in the middle of the cave. Her outline shifted around a bit in the tent before clearly slipping out of her swimsuit. Riku felt his face flush and he stared at her wide-eyed. His best friend turned girlfriend was only ten feet away from him, in a tent she expected him to sleep in with her, and she was naked.

He quickly turned and dashed back out of the cave, inhaling the cool ocean air as he struggled to collect his thoughts. He knew his face must have been bright red, but he was too worked up to care. Pacing anxiously in the sand outside the fence, he ran a hand through his hair and stared up at the sky.

"Sora, where are you?" He waited several moments, but of course there was no answer.

Riku walked down the beach, stopping every so often to look back at the cave. What exactly was he so afraid of? He thought to himself, contemplating his situation. Sure, Sora was his best friend, and he had always believed that he would be the one to get Kairi in the end. But she had changed everything, and now he didn't know what he should do. Sora was in love with her, he knew that, everyone knew that, and how could he honestly do this to his best friend? He loved her too, but as important as she was to him, he just wasn't about to throw away his friendship with Sora to be with her. He needed to see him again, talk to him. He couldn't rightfully take her without knowing that Sora was okay with it.

The stars glittered mockingly down at him, and he cursed loudly at them.

One thing was for certain, he wanted to go back into that cave and take everything he had ever wanted from her. The thought made him shudder. Regardless, he found himself wandering back towards her, crawling into that tiny cave and approaching the tent. The light was off now, but he heard her moving inside still. She sat up to squint into the darkness at him, wondering what he was doing. He quickly unzipped the tent with a shaking hand and crawled inside.

Riku hadn't even turned around yet when he felt her hand on his leg, and she whispered at him questioningly. He couldn't hear what she had said, but slowly turned around to face her. It was dark, and he could barely see the outline of her pale face. He caught the smile that she flashed at him and his heart jumped into his throat nervously.

She pulled gently on his arm and he let himself fall onto the sleeping bag next to her. He stared at her in surprise and amazement as she crawled over him and braced herself on his chest. She obviously had no problem shoving their best friend from her mind. Her hair fell down past her shoulder and she flipped it over to the side and out of his face. He closed his eyes, this was definitely not really happening. The Kairi he knew would never be this outgoing. He felt lips on his neck and his heart skipped a beat. A soft moan escaped him and his eyes grew wide. He fought the urge to slap a hand over his mouth as she leaned back to grin down at him. '_Stupid.._' he thought to himself, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to fight back the urges she was bringing out of him.

"Hey, Kai, this really isn't right…" He gasped, looking up at her sadly. She blinked at him in confusion.

"What?" She gave him an angry pout and sat back, straddling his hips and crossing her arms. That position really didn't help either and he cringed slightly as he reached up to grab her waist and ease her off of him.

"It's just that I don't think it's right to do this, without Sora knowing.." It sounded dumb, but his mind was starting to swim in her presence and he couldn't figure out what to say.

"You mean you need Sora's permission to be with me? You spent all that time fighting over me and now you want to ask him if it's okay that you won?" He had never seen her so angry, and he tried to back away nervously.

"Look, he's my best friend and I just don't-" She waved her hand to cut him off and shook her head angrily.

"No, you look, I have my own life and I can think for myself. If he's really such a great friend that he should know, then he'd understand anyway. And if he doesn't, oh well, maybe we weren't so close after all! Maybe if he was here I'd care more, but he's not! We don't know where he is, and we don't know when he's coming back, so why wait what could be years just to make sure there's no hard feelings? And don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't care, I just don't understand why the course of my life always needs to be determined by someone else. Now you need to start acting like my boyfriend, or maybe this was a mistake and I shouldn't have tried getting this close to either of you." He stared at her in shock as she slapped his hands away and climbed back up onto his hips. His pale face turned crimson as his eyes trailed down her thin form. It was then that he realized she had conveniently forgotten to wear underwear under the large shirt she had on.

"Oh, you are such a dork." She sighed heavily and leaned over him, wrapping and arm around his shoulder and rolling over. Before he had time to think she had pulled him over her and was kissing him enthusiastically.

'_Great, now if I don't do this she'll hate me for weeks.._' He growled internally, but quickly found himself playing along. He wanted to fight it, but his hand found its way up under her shirt. Soon enough her gentle movements below him had convinced him to join in. He couldn't deny that however morally wrong it might be, nothing had ever felt so right in his life.

Her shirt vanished and he stared down at her bare skin, his body beginning to shake nervously. He had always dreamed of this moment, but never with _her_, he hadn't really seen himself as being good enough for her. But here she was, initiating the single act that could change their lives forever. He had always considered himself brave, but when it came to impressing her he was terrified. She continued unfazed by his nerves, relieving him of his swim trunks and tossing them aside.

The next few minutes all seemed to blur, she took control and he went with it. The air inside the tent was warm and humid, making him sweat even more as he watched her moving above him. His eyes were wide, but he barely saw what was going on. And all too soon it was over, he stared up at her as her chest heaved and she rolled over onto the blankets beside him. She was covered in sweat and smiled over at him, reaching out and taking his hand. He couldn't believe it had really happened. He wasn't sure he had even been ready for it, but it was too late now. He turned onto his side and pulled her closer to him.

"I chose you, Riku, and no one else." She reassured him, stroking his matted hair gently. He nodded and closed his eyes at her touch.

"It's just a lot to think about. Go to sleep." He kissed her forehead and she smiled again, settling down under a blanket.

He was tired, confused, and he felt guilty. He didn't want to be here, he wanted to go outside and walk around to think, but he couldn't leave her like this, not tonight. Riku stared at her until she fell asleep. There had to be something else to it, she had been acting so strange. Did she really think he was just going to disappear again?

'_I've got to get her out of here, staring at that island all day is going to drive her insane.' _He thought to himself. Someway or other, they had to get away from here. The Destiny Islands they had known was gone, this place was now a cemetery.

**xXx**

The sound of water dripping down onto the tent woke him, and he stared up at the ceiling in confusion. He relaxed after a moment, he couldn't remember falling asleep. The light was dim, but enough to tell him it was morning. Not wanting to disturb Kairi, he crawled along the side of the tent to the exit and wriggled out. He wandered around checking some piled of supplies until he found some clothing, tugging on a pair of pants and boxers and then digging around for shoes and socks. He pulled on a black tank top and crawled out of the cave.

The morning air was cold and it felt good on his warm skin. He sighed happily and walked forward past the fence. The beach was still slightly dim, telling him it was pretty early. He stretched and looked up at the pale sky, it was a beautiful morning. Something out of place caught his eye and his gaze snapped back down to the ocean. 'I don't believe it…' He stared in shock and quickly walked forward. He stopped several feet away and gulped nervously.

"Heh, I thought you were dead. I guess I should have known better…"Riku was speechless for a few moments as he stared into those deep blue eyes.

"You came back." he shook his head to try and clear his thoughts and rushed forward, pulling the boy into a tight hug and nearly falling over when they lost their balance.

"Of course I did, sorry I'm late…" He said as Riku held him out at arm's length and examined him. He was crying, it was pretty obvious, and with good reason, he had staring out at the main island.

"Where's Kairi? Is she alright?" Sora asked, placing a gloved hand on Riku's arm. He nodded, feeling even more guilty.

"Yeah, she's still sleeping." He motioned back to the cave.

"Thanks for taking care of her.." Sora mumbled, smiling sadly at him. _'He knows…' _Riku realized, shaking his head.

"No, she took care of me, I wouldn't be here if she hadn't told me what to do." He smiled and turned to look at the cave, just in time to see Kairi herself stumble out.

Thankfully, she had put her dress back on, but his heart leapt into his throat as he watched her rub her face and walk down the beach towards them. She noticed the two boys standing there and she stared at them in disbelief. A mixture of emotions appeared on her face and Riku watched sadly as she rushed forward.

"Sora!" She cried happily, throwing herself into his arms. Tears were running down her cheeks and Riku wondered if she had really believed she would never see him again.

It hurt to watch them, they looked so perfect together. And she was so happy, she was acting like nothing had ever happened. They sat down and started talking, Kairi gesturing out towards the main island every so often and Sora nodding sadly in response. She was telling him everything that had happened, and Riku noticed that she left out the part about them 'dating'. He walked over to them and took a seat in the sand beside Sora, watching them quietly.

**End of Chapter Four**


	5. Finding Peace

**Disclaimer: **I don't own KH!

**A/n:** This story was really fun to write, I'm kind of sad to see it end. This might get a sequel later on, I'm not sure yet.

Thanks so much for the reviews! Here's a nice, long grand finale for you all. Sorry if there are any mistakes, I wrote all of this in one sitting and I'm really tired.

**Chapter Five**

Riku moved quickly, packing what they wanted to take and leaving what wasn't needed. He threw bags out of the cave and looked at the tent for a moment, finally deciding to pack it up, seeing as it held some sentimental moments now. He brushed the sand off his hands and rested for a moment, sighing heavily. What a day, he had been working all morning and now it was late noon, and he still hadn't eaten anything. Kairi had made some food to 'celebrate' Sora's return, but he really didn't feel like eating. Not that he wasn't happy to see Sora, too, he just wasn't happy with how enthusiastic _his_ girlfriend seemed about it…

He heard her giggle outside the cave somewhere and his shoulders dropped. Who was he kidding? She didn't want anything to do with him now that Sora had come back again. He should have known it was too good to be true.

He finished packing up the tent and hauled it out onto the beach for Sora to load onto the gummi ship, leaving it in a growing pile or supplies. He crossed his arms and looked over at the two best friends. They sat on the beach, talking happily. Sora said something funny and Kairi laughed, shoving him playfully. Riku found himself scowling and spun around, staring at the waterfall. He looked over at the fence he had built and wished he wasn't leaving, he loved this island and destroyed or not, it was his home.

Sora glanced over his shoulder and spotted his friend there. He pouted slightly and turned back to Kairi. She looked so beautiful in the sunlight, her red hair shining as she smiled over at him. His heart ached, he had looked forward to this day for so long. All he wanted to do was lean over and kiss her, let all his problems just melt away.

"You should go help Riku, he's gonna yell at us for being so lazy." He smiled brightly and stood up. Kairi just sat there, glancing between the two boys.

"In a minute, I don't really want to get up yet." She said softly. He shrugged and walked over towards Riku.

"Hey Riku, what's up?" He patted his friend on the back as he stopped beside him. Riku looked over and sighed.

"I don't want to leave, we grew up here, it doesn't seem right to just abandon it now." He said, looking up at the trees above the waterfall. Sora nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but there's nothing left here, Riku. I don't want to go either, I fought for so long so we could keep this place, but there's nothing left now. Maybe in a couple years, we can get some more people and then we can make it Destiny Islands again, but for now we need to go." He replied sadly. Riku didn't respond and he thought quickly.

"Look, Leon has a place for you guys to live in Hollow Bastian, it's a really great town, you'll love it." He said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Maybe…" Riku finally whispered. He looked over at the brunette. "You knew this happened, didn't you?" He asked quietly. Sora nodded again.

"Yeah, I knew…" His voice cracked slightly and he tried to hide it by clearing his throat. "I wish I could have warned you somehow."

Riku turned and crawled back into the cave. He walked forward and glanced around at the now empty cave, looking at the drawings on the walls. Sora crawled in behind him and looked around.

"This place really hasn't changed, huh?" He bend down and picked up a piece of chalk lying on the ground. Walking over to the wall, he began drawing.

Riku watched miserably as his best friend sketched on the stone wall. Three figures appeared and soon they were recognizable as the three best friends themselves, all holding hands in front of the ruined island. It was clear that they were crying and Riku smiled grimly as he watched the boy finish the sketch. He stepped back and looked at it, and Riku took the chalk from his hand. He moved forward and wrote beneath the picture 'in our hearts forever'.

"Yeah." He said, looking at the image. "Let's go."

**xxxxxxx**

It was early evening and they had finished loading everything into the gummi ship. All that was left was to say goodbye. The three stood on the beach, hugging sadly as they took a last look at their home. Riku broke away and walked down the beach a little way. He found what he was looking for and climbed up a hassled tree. Dropping back down onto the sand, he walked back to his friends and held up several young paopu fruit. He put them in his bag and held one up to his friends.

He took a bite out of it and almost cringed at the bitter flavor. Chewing sadly, he swallowed it and handed it to Sora, who did the same. When he had taken a bite, he gave it to Kairi and they watched as she followed their lead and handed it back to Riku. He looked down at it for a moment before drawing his arm back and throwing it into the trees above the island. They turned around and looked out at the sunset across the ocean.

Kairi began to sniffle and Riku put an arm around her as tears began to fall down her flushed cheeks. Sora looked pretty miserable himself and he fell softly onto the sand. They watched for several minutes as the sun sank lower in the sky.

"We should go…" Riku broke the silence as turned around again, moving towards the gummi ship. Kairi nodded and followed him, taking one last look at her home before scrambling into the ship.

Sora paused in the doorway and watched Kairi flop miserably into a seat. He looked over at the familiar island and sighed.

"I'm really going to miss it." he whispered. Riku forced a smile.

"We'll see it again, don't worry." He said gently, stepping into the gummi ship and offering Sora a hand up the step. He jumped up beside his friend and closed the door.

He made his way over to the controls and got the ship ready for liftoff. The engine powered up and the gentle hum reverberated throughout the cabin. Sora took the pilot's seat and Riku sat next to him, looking out the windshield at his home. The ship slowly began to rise and they looked back when they heard a broken sob from the cabin. Kairi had her head in her hands and her body was shaking. Riku gave her a sympathetic look, but didn't feel much like comforting anyone at the moment. The islands disappeared below them and Riku looked over at Sora's somber face. The autopilot kicked in and he got up, looking down at Riku. He moved over to Kairi and sat down beside her, putting an arm around her trembling shoulders. Riku quickly followed and put am arm around her waist. All there was to do now was wait.

**xxxxxxx**

The gummi ship touched down gently on the cobblestone floor of the hangar. The door swung open and the bystanders waited in anticipation as Sora jumped down onto the floor. He rubbed a hand across his face and moved towards them.

"Well? What happened? Where they alright?" Leon moved forward quickly as the keyblade master stared up at him. Aerith bit her lip and clenched her hands hopefully as Yuffie ran to join Leon. Sora turned to look back at the gummi ship and everyone follow his lead, staring anxiously at the door.

Riku jumped out and held up at hand. Kairi took it and he helped her down without releasing her hand. They stood there for a moment and gazed across the hangar at the restoration committee. Riku grinned and held up a hand in greeting, and a cheer broke out from the group.

"We were so worried when Sora got back and told us what happened! He was so upset I thought he was going to have a panic attack. He left again right away, Donald and Goofy didn't even have a chance to catch up to him!" Aerith cried, running over to the two slightly confused friends and checking to make sure they were alright.

"Aw, leave 'em alone, I'm sure they've been through enough already." Cid broke through the excited group and crossed his arms. "We have a place ready, I bet you could use some rest!" He said, looking back at Leon.

The brunette nodded and Sora walked back to the gummi ship. "We'd better unpack, it won't take too long." He said, climbing back up to start throwing bags out onto the ground.

Riku and Kairi stood back and watched in amazement as everyone joined in, grabbing bags and supplies and moving back out of the hangar with Leon directing them. They followed the restoration committee through town for several minutes until they came to a small house near their headquarters. Leon opened the door and threw a bag down inside.

"It's all we could find on such short notice." he said as Kairi peeked inside.

"Wow, you're going to let us live here?" She stared up at him wide eyed. He nodded and stepped back out to let her look around.

"Yeah, this place has been empty for a long time."

She looked around the room, a big living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and stairs leading up to a second floor. She moved up the stairs and noticed that the entire upstairs was a bedroom. She ran back down to thank him, but he had already disappeared again. She ran into Riku instead and grabbed his hands in excitement.

"Isn't this amazing? Our own house!" He watched her happily and glanced back to Sora. He dropped a bag at their feet and grinned.

"See? There are perks to personally knowing the guy who saved the universe." Riku punched him playfully and laughed.

It only took half an hour to get everything dropped off with them and Leon and the committee called it a night. They left the three friends alone in their new home. There was a couch against the wall and Riku flopped down on it in exhaustion. The other two sat down beside him and Kairi put her head on his shoulder.

"I'm hungry…" She whined. Riku nodded in agreement. "Me too."

"Wow, I can't believe you guys are going to live here in town. I can see you whenever now, that flight to Destiny Islands was a killer." Sora said softly, leaning forward on the couch. He finally pushed himself up to his feet and walked into the kitchen.

"Aerith bought us some groceries, so I can make some food if you guys want." Riku and Kairi both replied with a resounding yes.

**xxxxxxx**

Kairi awoke suddenly and sat up in alarm. Her eyes adjusted to the sunlight filtering in through the window above her and she stared around in confusion. The sounds she was accustomed to had vanished, replaced by the sounds of the town coming to life. She ran a hand through her messy red hair and stared around the room. She was wrapped halfway in a blanket and her leg dangled over the edge of the bed. Looking down, she noticed Sora and Riku fast asleep on the floor beneath her.

She sat back and hugged her knees when she remembered what had happened. Destiny Islands was gone, Sora was back, and they lived in this small house in Hollow Bastian now. She wanted to cry, but it was too early. Instead, she climbed off the edge of the bed and stepped over the sleeping boys. Sora mumbled in his sleep as she walked past, and she smiled to herself. She went downstairs and got some cold cereal, sitting on the couch as she ate. No sand, just carpet, she missed the beach already. Some time later, Riku stumbled downstairs closely followed by Sora, and the two wandered into the kitchen. It wasn't long before they were fighting and arguing as usual, and Kairi sighed and retreated into the bathroom for a shower.

Sora ran back out into the living room and took Kairi's place on the couch, watching Riku stumble after him. He stared at the bathroom door for a moment before turning back to his best friend and smiling.

"I'm happy for you." he said simply. Riku stopped and stared at him.

"Sora…" he began, not really sure what he should say. The brunette stopped him.

"It's okay, you don't to try and explain anything. You guys are still my best friends." he smiled honestly at the older boy, but Riku couldn't help but feel guilty.

Kairi finally came back out of the bathroom, towel drying her hair. She smiled at the boys, "You guys should get cleaned up, I want to go see the town." They jumped on her request and she watched as they fought over who got to take a shower first.

It wasn't long before Kairi began heading out the door and the two friends were left to struggle after her. Sora had just closed the door behind him and was struggling into his shoe when Kairi had turned the corner up ahead and disappeared. Riku called for him to hurry up and ran after her.

After hours of exploration, the three finally rested in the Bailey. Kairi was perched in the window staring out at the expanse beneath them, and Riku leaned on the wall nearby. Sora was seated on the ledge beside Kairi, but faced the opposite way. Riku watched them suspiciously as they talked without him. He glared down at them subconsciously, a pang going through his heart every time she laughed at Sora's joke. She ignored Riku, standing there above her. He couldn't take it anymore, she was flirting with Sora right in front of him.

"Hey, I'm gonna go look around up at the castle. You guys catch up, I'll be back in a little while." He turned and left, and Sora looked after him sadly. He called out to the teen, but he had already jumped down the ledge and was off and running towards the castle.

"So what's been keeping you so busy you couldn't come see us, anyway?" Kairi asked, drawing his attention away from their friend.

**xxxxxxx**

"Hey." Riku gave a small wave to the tall, stern man as he entered the computer room. Leon looked back at him in surprise.

"Need something?" he asked, leaning over the computer and pressing several buttons.

"Not really, just thought I might look around. It's been a while since I was here before." he replied, brushing a hand along the computer console.

"This is his super computer, huh? I never got to see it." He looked down at the display and Leon grunted in response.

"It used to be a complete mess, but Sora went in and fixed it up so we could use it." he stated., watching the boy.

"You're really lucky, you know that?" Riku spun around when Aerith entered the room. She smiled at him and he returned it.

"It's a miracle that you survived that storm. Sora was really scared for you two." She said. Riku nodded and shifted his gaze back down toward the computer.

"You should spend time with him while you can, he'll have to leave again as soon. Now he has to fight the heartless and the nobodies, his life is very demanding." Riku looked up at her as she leaned down to smile warmly at him. He nodded and moved back towards the door. He pause in the doorway and looked back at her.

"Do you ever feel like you don't belong, even though you know you should? Like when you really love someone, but you know they love someone else, and you just can't let it go?" He asked suddenly. Leon's eyes shot up to the two and he watched Aerith worriedly.

Her gaze softened at the thought and she hummed sadly to herself. "Yes, everyday…" Leon moved over and brushed his hand against her arm, he really wasn't very good at comforting. "You should just be glad you can be so close to two people you care so much about." She smiled yet again and Riku nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so." he ducked out the doorway and dashed back towards his friends.

He walked quietly once he reached the Bailey, and stood poised behind the wall to see if they were still there. Sora had turned around so they were both facing the horizon, and Kairi was giggling again.

"Right down there, a thousand of them." Sora pointed down out the window and Kairi followed his gaze to the Great Maw.

"Wow, and you weren't even scared?" She grinned at him and shoved him playfully. "You're so brave!" he laughed.

"Come on, 'course I was scared. All my friends were out there fighting them, I can't believe no one got hurt…" Kairi hummed at his response.

"I would have been really scared…" She said softly.

"Aw, Riku and I would have protected you." He replied. Kairi grew silent and Riku watched her face fall sadly again.

"I really missed you. I didn't think you were ever coming back." She said.

Sora didn't know what to say and they both sat there quietly for a few moments. Riku watched as they drew closer and Kairi's eyes began to slide closed. His heart jerked painfully, but he kept watching. Sora twitched slightly and leaned forward towards her. It seemed to take forever, Riku's heart beating loudly the whole time. He knew he should do something to stop it, but it didn't seem right. If she wanted to leave him for Sora, he wouldn't stop her. Their lips were almost touching and he forced himself not to look away. He breathed in deeply as they drew closer together.

All at once, Kairi jumped and pulled away. She held a hand to her head and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Sora, but I'm in love with Riku…" She mumbled, not wanting to look at him.

Riku stared ahead in shock and slid down the wall until he was seated awkwardly on the stone floor. Sora wrapped an arm around her and hugged her gently.

"I know… I really shouldn't have done that." He replied.

"You'll always be my best friend." Kairi said, turning around and climbing to her feet. Sora nodded and smiled. "I need to go find Riku.." She murmured, taking off toward the castle.

She stopped and cried out in surprise at the top of the steps, staring down at him in shock. He looked up at her with meek aqua eyes and she stumbled back.

"Riku!" She held a hand to her heart and Sora looked over with interest. The silver haired boy got up and brushed himself off.

"You were listening in on us!" She accused, putting her hands on her hips. Riku shrugged and she hit him playfully.

"Let's just go home." he said, taking her hand.

**xxxxxxx**

"What are you doing? Lunch is ready!" Kairi called from the door. Riku and Sora were crouched over a pot in front of the small house. She stepped forward to see what they were up to and caught sight of their project.

"What is that?" She asked, pointing to the pot in suspicion.

"It's going to be a paopu tree!" Sora replied happily, holding it up for her to see.

"Yeah, well, it looks like dirt right now." She teased, going back into the house. Sora pouted and cradled it to his chest lovingly.

"Come on, I'm hungry." Riku ran past him into the house, and Sora followed them, setting the beloved plant down just inside the door.

Riku wandered into the kitchen and grabbed a piece of his sandwich. Sora darted in and grabbed it from him, dodging him as he ran back out of the kitchen laughing. He went to chase him down, but Kairi grabbed him. She pulled him close and kissed him gently. She released him quickly and blushed, turning away to get her own food. She turned to leave when Riku called out to her.

"Kairi." She stopped and looked back.

"I love you." He whispered. She smiled and blushed again, rushing back out to take a seat next to the energetic brunette on the couch.

**The End** _Please review and let me know what you thought of the story!_


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